The present invention relates to an automatic work exchanging apparatus for use in an automatic work transporting system in a machine factory.
Automation and labor saving in machine tooling has recently shown considerable progress by the use of numerically-controlled machine tools and robots. Also, substantially workerless operation is already achieved in an independent machining center represented by the machining center having a pallet conveyor.
However, the material handling in a machining factory, i.e. the transportation of works from the warehouses, supply thereof to machine tools and transportation of articles after machining, are generally conducted by the workers, with danger involved in the handling of heavy articles and also with humane limitation in the work efficiency. Usually works of various shapes are handled in such factory, and the transportation and precise positioning of such works on the table of machine tool are quite cumbersome and have to depend on the experience of workers. Although there exists a requirement for an automated material handling system for automatically transporting and positioning such various works and conveying the works after machining, such a system has to be able to supply the works of varied shapes to machine tools with an extremely high accuracy. For examples, a transfer and lift mechanism have been proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,090.
The present invention relates to an automatic work exchanging apparatus meeting such requirement. Since the work exchanging time is generally far shorter than the machining time, an automatic exchanging apparatus, if provided for each machine tool, will not only result in substantial idle time for such apparatus but also in an inordinate expense, as a large number of expensive exchanging apparatus will be required.